National Weather Service is halting translated weather alerts for non-English speakers

Yahoo

11-04-2025

The National Weather Service has halted its automated translation services for weather alerts until further notice. This will likely impact the accessibility of weather alerts for non-English speakers locally.
Here's what we know.
The change, which was announced last week, is "due to a contract lapse," weather service spokesperson Michael Musher confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY without elaborating further.
Language translation software firm Lilt has provided artificial intelligence to translate weather service alerts for over a year. The NWS announced the partnership in October 2023, revealing the AI technology would translate alerts from English to several other languages including Spanish, French, Vietnamese, simplified Chinese and Samoan.
"This language translation project will improve our service equity to traditionally underserved and vulnerable populations that have limited English proficiency," the weather service's director Ken Graham said in a news release at the time. "By providing weather forecasts and warnings in multiple languages, NWS will improve community and individual readiness and resilience as climate change drives more extreme weather events."
In Indianapolis, NWS typically tweets out severe weather alerts, which they did during the severe weather earlier this month.
It is unclear at this time exactly what translated services will be halted through NWS. IndyStar reached out to NWS Public Affairs for clarification, but did not hear back prior to publication.
IndyStar has a list of weather resources for Spanish-speaking residents. While NWS no longer supplies emergency weather alerts in other languages, they link to other sites that do, including FEMA and American Red Cross.
NWS' webpages that have previously been translated are still accessible.
Story continues after photo gallery.
Para residentes hispanohablantes en Indiana, IndyStar tiene una página web de recursos para el tiempo en Español. La página web es accesible aquí o visite weather.gov/ind/espanol para encontrar el pronóstico del tiempo diario, condiciones próximas e información adicional de seguridad de NWS.
The pause in translation services comes after the Trump administration declared English the official language of the U.S. last month for the first time in the nation's history.
President Donald Trump passed the executive order designating one official language to "promote unity, cultivate a shared American culture for all citizens, ensure consistency in government operations, and create a pathway to civic engagement," according to the White House.
The order rescinds a mandate former President Bill Clinton passed in 2000 requiring federal agencies and all recipients of federal funding to provide non-English speakers with access to language assistance. Since returning to office in January, Trump has led a hefty crack down on illegal immigration that has long brought people from many countries speaking languages other than English.
Yes; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which encompasses the NWS, was also among the federal government agencies impacted by the mass terminations of probationary workers.
More than 1,020 NOAA employees were laid off, according to a NOAA email sent to staff on March 11 and obtained by USA TODAY. However, the email clarified staff who work in NWS forecast operations and maintenance support were not included in the reductions.
While English continues to be the most spoken language in the nation, a 2019 U.S. Census Bureau report found 67.8 million others spoke a non-English language at home, a nearly 94% increase from 1980.
Spanish was the second most spoken language at home in 2019, according to the census report, with more than 41,000 speakers.
"The primary purpose of collecting language data is to measure the proportion of the U.S. population that may need help in understanding English," according to the census report. "Government agencies and other organizations can use these language data to determine the need for translators and other language assistance services."
Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NWS weather alerts will not be translated for non-English speakers